Chicago City Wire

In the wake of a shooting at an elementary school in his state, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) criticized the state of Illinois.

Abbott pointed to the rampant violence in Chicago as evidence that strict gun laws do not necessarily lead to lower levels of gun violence. That led Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) to post comments on Twitter, blaming Chicago’s violence on other states with looser gun laws. 

Abbott’s comments came after a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday ended with the death of students and teachers, according to AP News. Salvador Ramos, 18, opened fire at Robb Elementary School, killing 19 fourth-grade students and two teachers and wounding a reported 17 others. Authorities ultimately broke into the classroom where Ramos had barricaded himself and killed him. 

Uvalde is a town of 16,000 with a mostly Hispanic population, AP News reported. 

Abbott noted after the school shooting that more people die in Chicago due to gun violence than in Texas. The Chicago Sun-Times published a graphic on Saturday indicating that 226 Chicagoans had been killed up to that date.

“I hate to say this, but there are more people shot every weekend in Chicago than there are in schools in Texas,” Abbott said at a press conference on Wednesday, according to ABC 7 Chicago. “And we need to realize that people who think that, ‘Well, maybe if we just implement tougher gun laws, it's gonna solve it.’ Chicago and LA and New York disprove that thesis. And so, if you’re looking for a real solution, Chicago teaches that what you’re talking about is not a real solution. Our job is to come up with real solutions that we can implement.”

Pritzker quickly responded to Abbott’s comments. 

“Don’t feed into the false narrative about Chicago and Illinois – it’s an excuse that politicians like you hide behind to stop the federal legislation we need to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people,” Pritzker said on Twitter. “You are lying about Chicago and what actually perpetuates gun violence. The majority of guns used in Chicago shootings come from states with lax gun laws.”

The tragic school shooting prompted a flurry of comments calling for change. Pres. Joe Biden commented on social media. 

“We know common-sense gun laws can’t and won’t prevent every tragedy,” Biden said on Twitter. ”But we know they work and have a positive impact. When we passed the assault weapons ban — mass shootings went down. When the law expired — mass shootings tripled.”

Purchasing a gun in another state such as Indiana and returning to Illinois is not as easy as it might seem, according to Alpha Koncepts Firearm Training and Armory’s website. A gun buyer from Illinois can buy a gun in another state, but must undergo a background check. The purchaser would not be able to leave the store with the gun; it has to be sent to a licensed firearms dealer in Illinois before the transaction is completed. 

Illinois has the sixth-strictest gun laws in the United States, according to EverytownResearch.org. The state has the ninth-lowest rate of gun ownership in the nation. 

“Despite being a national leader in enacting gun violence prevention laws, including all foundational laws, Illinois continues to experience an unacceptable rate of gun violence near the national average,” EverytownResearch.org reported.